Of Heroes and Villians
by terreisa
Summary: Killian and Emma have faced witches, lost memories, and curses and have defeated them all side by side. Upon their return to the Enchanted Forest they find a war threatening to tear the realm apart and the Dark One let loose from his cage. Worst of all the final battle may be against something they can't defeat, themselves. Follow up to The Savior and The Scoundrel.
1. Author's Note

Here we are, lovely readers, at the beginning of the end. This whole journey started two years ago as a CS Secret Valentine's day gift that grew and grew and grew from there. To say it's been easy would be a lie but to say it's been hard would be one too. I may have become frustrated with writer's block or flirted with mild disinterest but I've never given up getting this whole three part story out there. That's all thanks to everyone who's read and continued to read what I've concocted in this micro-verse, my special thanks to those who have left lovely comments and encouragements along the way.

You may be wondering why I'm doing this as a whole separate thing at the beginning instead of at the end of the whole shebang. For this reason: **the following (and final) installment of this trilogy will be far darker than the other two**. I'm letting you know now that there will be deaths that are both canon compliant and not, minor and major characters alike. There will also most likely be scenes of violence done to and done by characters you might not expect.

The reason I'm warning you now instead of as we go along is because I know there are some that find reading these sorts of things not to their tastes. I'm also very much in the belief that to keep the intent of what the author's written things need to be kept under wraps until they're discovered as they're read. It's hard to do that if at the beginning of every chapter a disclaimer needs to be added that essentially gives away parts of the story. Basically I'm against spoilers and even writing this is going against that.

 **I will not be putting disclaimers/warnings before the chapters where evil deeds are done.**

I understand if some of you don't want to continue on. I can assure you (and everyone else) that there will be light at the end of this tunnel but the journey there will be a long and dark one and sometimes monsters really do lurk in the shadows.

So I hope you join me on this last journey with our heroes and I'll be seeing you on the other side.

-T


	2. Prologue

Even before the smoke dissipated completely and Its vision cleared it could feel the magic once more snaking insidiously through its body. It had been far too long since It had felt the raw power humming just under its skin, waiting to be released, to wreak havoc. Most wonderful of all was the sense of freedom it hadn't experienced once in the thousands of years it had been terrorizing the realm.

Not having the moral baggage or the doubting heart of a host to drag It down was most delicious.

It breathed deeply. The air was pure, tinged with the sharp scent of pine and the not so far off tang of the sea, instead of poisoned with the oils and chemicals that hung heavy in the air in the Land Without Magic. Looking around It could see that it was alone, despite having been mere feet from those who wished to stop it when the curse had been undone.

The Dark Curse. Oh, how Rumplestiltskin had put so much hope into what it could accomplish. Finding his precious Bae, striving to become a family again, had rankled It. That such a wondrously devastating thing was to be used for such a mundane and saccharine reason was a travesty and a waste. When the weakling Regina had failed to cast it It had been almost overjoyed for it had seen that it would still be cast but the caster had remained in shadow. It had been most surprised and intrigued when envy and bitterness led Zelena to do what she had been promised years before. Even more surprising was that she required the heart of Rumplestiltskin to do it.

Despite Its penchant for surviving all manner of weapons, poisons, and destruction meant to bring about its death It had been morbidly curious to see what would happen when Rumplestiltskin's heart was crushed while It was still inhabiting his body. When the time had come it had felt no pain, in fact it had little time to feel anything at all. It had only sensed a fleeting taste of something bigger than it had ever felt before and then… nothing.

It had been sucked under by the curse, a prison far worse than the underground one it had been confined to for nearly three decades. All Its magical power and centuries of knowledge had been shoved into the dark recesses of the mind of a weak, crippled man who only played games for what passed as power in the realm they'd been sent to. Yet, all it had taken to awaken It once more was a welp of a lad who wanted so badly to prove himself and his delicious mistake had nearly resulted in the heroes' undoing.

As quickly as things had looked decidedly in Its favor upon waking it had taken a turn for the worst when the wench who had both freed and imprisoned it had had been forced to destroy the wondrous curse. It had thought the bitch wouldn't cow to not only the heroes but the sister that she hated beyond reckoning and it had paid the price for its assumptions. As though being forced back to a realm where it would have to deal with those who had magics to rival its own wasn't bad enough the gem that would have given it unprecedented power had been reduced to nothing but a pile of glittering dust, the unforeseen cost of undoing the curse.

Its fury had known no bounds and with what spare magic it had had left it had sought immediate retribution and snapped the witch's neck. The act had only given It a moment's satisfaction, the determination in the Savior's eyes enough to give it pause. The Savior was the only one who had power that rivaled its own and it was only her poor training and naivete that would give it the advantage.

It raised the scaly hand of the man once known as Rumplestiltskin, ready to snap its fingers and begin its reign of terror across the realm when the unthinkable happened. The deep unrelenting tug, the one that refused to be ignored or disobeyed, made itself known. It howled, causing birds to take flight at the sound of its rage. Someone had the Dagger and It was helpless against its pull.

With a curse dripping with acidic disdain It fought as long as it could but it was no use. In a cloud of black, swirling smoke It disappeared to join its new master.


	3. A Hollow Return (Killian)

As Killian blinked his eyes open to see nothing but grey sky above him three thoughts occurred to him almost simultaneously: that the air in Storybrooke had never smelled so clean, that he much preferred being transported across realms with his memories intact, and that he was utterly alone.

He sat up quickly, barely sparing a thought for why he had been lying down in the first place, as he frantically looked around the small clearing he found himself in. Where it had only been the beginning of winter in Storybrooke it was deep into the throes in the land he'd been sent to. The snow was at least six inches deep beneath him and from the biting wind and the roiling mass of steel grey clouds over his head another storm was due shortly. Shivering he looked down at himself, certain that he had been wearing a thick winter coat, and was surprised to find that he was back in the clothes he had been wearing when he had been taken by Zelena's curse. The bloody cuff at the end of his left arm was a particularly chilling sight.

Standing carefully he surveyed the land more closely. The trees at the edges of the clearing were similar to those that flanked Storybrooke but somehow he could tell that there was something more to them, something older and far more alive. He slowly revolved on the spot, resisting the urge to shout out in hopes that someone else was calling for him instead and that Emma was the one doing it.

Torn between wanting to move in any direction in hopes of finding her and staying put to increase his chances of being found he started pacing the length of the clearing. As much as he didn't want to entertain the thought that he was miles from anyone else or not even in the same realm it became harder to do so as the minutes ticked by. He placed a well aimed kick at a snow drift to release his frustration that he'd barely had an hour with Emma before they had been torn apart again.

"There you are."

Killian spun towards the feminine voice, already knowing it wasn't Emma but unable to hide his disappointment when he saw that it was Red. Instead of the somewhat inappropriate Granny's uniform he'd become used to she was wearing a plain, faded blue dress and draped over her shoulders was her vibrant red cloak, which made her easily discernible amongst the trees she was standing under.

"Where's Emma? Where are we? The lad, is he okay?" He asked in quick succession, a sense of panic beginning to overtake him.

"She's fine, sent me to get you actually," Red answered shortly as she motioned for him to join her. He quickly strode to her side and she set off as soon as he reached her, making him jog a little to keep pace, "We came back a mile or so away from here but with Marty needing to be healed and all the confusion of coming back I was the only one who would find you quickly."

"Coming back? Where the devil are we?"

"Can't you feel it?" She asked, casting him a meaningful glance that seemed closer to a glare, "I mean, I can smell it but that's just from being in touch with my wolf again but I can feel it too."

"Feel what?" He asked, bewildered.

"That we're home."

He mulled that over as they moved through the woods at a steady clip. He had a multitude of questions he still wanted to ask but his desire to see Emma was too great. When he increased his pace Red easily matched him, guiding him in the right direction.

It took nearly half an hour of wending their way through the trees before they approached what seemed to be the edge of the forest. They'd been forced to slow their pace multiple times to move around large broken branches and fallen trees. The destruction reminded Killian of the cleanup that had been needed in Storybrooke after the hurricane that had taken his hand. With a stuttered step he remembered that he'd really lost his hand to a madwoman and realized with a tinge of annoyance that his false memories were more fixed in his mind than he'd realized.

Killian was drug out of his thoughts by the shout of his name and someone running toward him from across a wide field. He barely had time to breathe out Emma's name before she was slamming into him, wrapping her arms around him like a vice.

"I thought I lost you again," she half sobbed into his neck.

"And I you, love, but I'm here, we're here, together," he whispered. He placed a light kiss against her temple before he pulled back, "Did the others make it back as well? Your father?"

She shook her head, "Only Red, Roland, Marty and I ended up here. I wanted to find you but Marty was barely hanging on. Red promised to find you first and then the others while I stayed to heal him."

"You have your magic back then?" He asked even as he could see Marty talking to Roland over Emma's shoulder. With a jolt he remembered their last moments in Storybrooke as he stepped around Emma and frantically scanned the field, "The Dark One? Where is he?"

"We don't know," she whispered, as though speaking aloud would conjure him to their sides, "but if I have my magic back then he does too."

Killian once more looked across the field but with a more assessing gaze. They were fully exposed, their darker clothing easy marks atop the pristine white snow. Even if they moved to the cover of the trees an attack from the Dark One would catch them unawares no matter how much they prepared. He was about to say as much when he noticed a small grouping of people heading their way from the east.

"We've got company, Swan," he said grimly, stepping to her side as she turned to look for herself.

The destruction of the curse had not only seen fit to return him to their realm in the clothes he had left in but without any form of weapon on his person. He silently cursed that the sword he'd had in hand in Storybrooke as well as the gun he had habitually kept tucked in the waist of his jeans at the small of his back had vanished. Pushing away the thoughts of exactly why he'd always had to keep himself armed he focused on the five or so people making their way towards them.

"Daniel!"

Much like Emma had sprinted into his arms, Roland launched himself across the field with a speed that surprised him. One of the figures broke away from the group and Killian smiled as he recognized Turner. His smile turned to one of puzzlement as Turner himself began to run, straight into Roland's arms.

"Huh," he said in wonder, averting his eyes from the emotional reunion the two men were engaged in.

"What? Too shocking for you?" Emma said as she turned to him with an amused quirk of her brow.

"Hardly," he scoffed. "It was no secret where Turner's preferences lie. I'm only surprised he's gone and fallen for a known thief and rabble rouser."

Emma snorted, "Rabble rouser? I forgot how straight laced you could be."

Killian knew that she only meant to tease but he felt his smile melt away all the same. He had not been a good man under Zelena's curse, hadn't even cared about being such a thing until Emma had arrived in Storybrooke. What was even worse was that he couldn't be quite sure which of his evil deeds had merely been false memories and which had actually transpired while cursed. Guilt and shame coursed through him as he tried to focus back on the situation at hand.

The others in Turner's group had come close enough for him to recognize as they continued walking towards them. Robin and Little John led the way while the woman, Grace, that had come along with Emma and two teenagers, a boy and a girl, followed closely behind. To his shock Regina was bringing up the rear, looking disgruntled not only with her company but with her surroundings.

"I never thought I'd say this but I'm glad Regina is here now," Emma said with a slight shake of her head. "She'll have a better idea what to expect from the Dark One."

"Clearly anything if he's willing to stab a teen and then murder a woman without blinking an eye," Killian growled. He frowned as a thought occurred to him, "Did Zelena's body not make the trip?"

"If it did it's not here," Emma said grimly. She tilted her head towards the approaching group, "Come on, we need to figure out what to do."

She took his hand in hers as she led the way with Marty trailing behind. As they approached he watched as Roland seemingly introduced Turner to his father. He shook his head with a small smile at the rigid posture Turner had adopted as Robin sized him up. When Robin pulled him into an exuberant hug Killian couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else as they joined them.

"I don't know about you but it's good to be home," Robin said as he took a deep breath in through his nose with a satisfied smile. He then turned and caught sight of Marty causing his jovial countenance to darken, "You've just had a very close call and I'm glad you're alive but from what I've seen and what's been told to me the blame can only be placed on you. I cannot have someone with such a distinct lack of discipline in the Merry Men-"

"But Uncle Robin-"

"But nothing," Robin snapped, cutting him off. "You almost died, Martin, and brought who knows what kind of vileness into the world. For what? To prove yourself? That cannot stand. When we return to Sherwood Forest you will no longer be welcome among the Merry Men or be privy to their secrets. Understood?"

"That's not fair! I just wanted to be treated like an adult," Marty pleaded. He looked frantically at Roland who was looking on impassively, "I was just trying to help."

Killian shifted uncomfortably on his feet and could see those not affiliated with the Merry Men doing the same.

"If you want to be treated as an adult then accept the consequences of your actions and be thankful we're not digging your grave," Robin said, unmoved. "You will remain by my side at all times until we're reunited with your parents. You will also be the one to tell them what's happened. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Marty whispered, his gaze fixed on his boots.

With a dizzying sense of dejavu he remembered a time that Robin had similarly dressed him down, not long after he'd moved to Storybrooke. He had knicked a small fortune from Gold's shop to impress Deb and it had been bad luck that deputy Archer had been walking down the street when he'd backed out of the shop. While he hadn't been formally arrested Archer had forced him to perform three months of community service under his watch and had kept a wary eye on him ever since.

Emma squeezed his hand tightly, bringing him out of the thrall of his false memories. He shuddered at how real they still felt causing Emma to shuffle closer to him and begin rubbing her hand over his arm, clearly believing he was affected by the cold. Greedy for her closeness and unwilling to sully their second reunion he didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

"Good," Robin said grimly. He shifted his gaze back them, "Do we need to worry about the Dark One coming for him?"

"I-" Emma shook her head slightly, "I don't know."

"For the irresponsible teen? No," Regina broke in, shouldering her way to stand across from them and focused on Emma. "You on the other hand he won't idly sit around waiting for a perfect moment to attack. Actually, I'm surprised he hasn't ripped out your heart and crushed it already."

"As usual, Regina, your lack of compassion is astounding," Killian growled.

"I'm only stating the obvious-" she sniffed. "If the Dark One hasn't shown up by now, especially with the zero morals he's operating on, then he's either biding his time coming up with a far more devastating plan or he's incapacitated in some way. Let's just hope it's the latter."

"We can hope all we want but we'll need to devise a strategy for an impending attack," Turner advised. He looked to him and Emma and bowed his head slightly, "Only if you feel that's the right course of action, Captain. Your Highness."

Killian started at the address. He felt unworthy of the title and even less worthy of making any decisions himself. Luckily Emma didn't seem to feel the same way. She nodded slowly and bit her lip in thought.

"Regina, did Zelena mention anything about the dagger that can control the Dark One?"

"I asked her about it but she said she'd never found it," Regina answered, her lip curling with distaste. "The idiot crushed his heart without getting leverage on him first and she called me the inept one."

"It wasn't in his shop either," Marty said quietly. They turned to him and he looked up briefly before dropping his gaze back down, "I rifled through most the shop when I got Zelena that jewel. She said if I found a wavy edged dagger with a name on it to grab that too. I didn't see it."

"Doesn't mean it wasn't in a safe or at his home," Robin pointed out. "Can it really control him?"

"Completely," Regina confirmed. "Whoever has the dagger has the Dark One at his beck and call and he can't do anything to fight it's command. I don't know what's worse, a loose Dark One or one who could be under the control of anyone under the sun."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we're getting ahead of ourselves here," Roland interrupted. He looked off to the west and then overhead, "It's going to get dark sooner rather than later, we need to find someplace to hole up and I hope this storm that's coming in holds off until we do."

Killian looked up and noticed that the clouds were much darker than they had been when he'd woken up. The wind was also beginning to pick up as the looser snow underfoot began to swirl around their feet.

"Does anyone know where we are?" His question was met with frowns and shaking heads. "Then we best move under the shelter of the trees. There's plenty of fallen branches and trees to start a fire and perhaps build something to keep the worst of the storm at bay."

"Just have the princess conjure up something," Regina drawled. "She obviously has her magic back if the kid is still alive."

"What?" Emma asked startled. He wasn't quite sure but he thought he could feel her hand start to tremble in his, "Why can't you do it?"

"Because of this-" Regina held up her arm where a plain leather cuff was wrapped around her wrist. "I'd be more than happy to fill this whole field with weather proof tents and cozy two person cots if you'd take this thing off of me."

"No," Killian said quickly.

The memories of the days of fighting they had endured over the very same subject came rushing back. He was just as opposed to it as he had been when they had been sequestered in Regina's palace trying to decide how to proceed against Zelena. A wave of shame washed over him as he also recalled how the tensions over what to do with Regina had been the first domino to fall in the events that had led up to Zelena casting the curse.

"I agree with him," Robin said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Who cares about your opinion?" Regina snarled, turning to face him.

"I'm with Killian," Grace chimed in, stepping slightly in front of the teens beside her.

"As am I," Turner said firmly.

Roland and Little John nodded in agreement without hesitation.

"This isn't up for a vote," Regina stated haughtily. She looked at Emma with an arched brow, "You'll need my help when the Dark One comes and you know it."

Emma looked torn. Killian forced himself from trying to influence her decision. When he'd fought with her over the decision the last time he'd ]pushed her away completely and nearly lost everything. He never wanted to have any cause to be separated from her again, even if it meant Regina having magic once more.

"You're right Regina," Emma said softly, squeezing his hand once more, "I'll need all the help I can get when he comes-"

"Finally, someone sees some reason," Regina crowed. She held out her wrist towards Emma, "If you please."

"I said when he comes and he's not here now," Emma continued. "I'm sorry, Regina, but I can't remove that cuff."

"Need I remind you that I helped you in Storybrooke?" Regina hissed.

"When it suited you to do so," Emma pointed out. "Once you had the chance you retreated back to your cabin. You've also never really said that you're over your stupid feud with my parents. Prove to us that we can trust you, really trust you, and the cuff comes off."

"I'm being treated no better than that child over there," she complained instead of addressing Emma's concerns.

"Unlike him you're free to leave if you so choose," Killian spoke up, finally unable to help himself.

The color drained from Regina's face, "I'm second on that giggling imp's list for payback and without my magic-"

"You'll be left to his admittedly non-existent mercy," he said with a shrug. "Help us and earn the right to have that cuff removed or don't and see how you fare against the Dark One."

Regina opened her mouth, seemingly to begin a new tirade, when she snapped her mouth shut instead. With a scowl she folded her arms over her chest and stalked away from them towards the woods. Killian sighed quietly in relief, knowing that his temper would have eventually gotten the best of him.

"I guess I'll need to create some tents or something," Emma murmured in what he believed was an attempt at a joking tone. The way her hand tightened around his said otherwise.

"Give it a go and if nothing happens we can always hunker down in the woods for one night," Killian said encouragingly. "You just got your magic back, there's no need to fret if they're not the Barbie Dream House."

"Barbie dream house?" She asked, turning to him with confusion.

"Er, it's a dollhouse from the land without magic," he explained as he rubbed the back of his neck with his blunt wrist. He was struck by the realization that she'd had no clue how anything in the modern world worked and he'd only barely noticed, "It, uh, came with an elevator I believe."

"That moving room? Why would a doll need that? Why would anyone need that? Aren't stairs good enough?" She huffed, annoyed.

"Not when you have more than three stories to climb, love," Killian said with a chuckle. "How about you try for a simple tent first."

"Fine."

Emma closed her eyes, her annoyance still clear in her features as she concentrated. He couldn't help but rub his thumb across the back of her hand in encouragement as the others watched with breathless anticipation. The moment the tension in her shoulders relaxed she flicked her right hand and the field around them filled with white, pearlescent smoke. As the smoke began to clear he took in what Emma had done and had to blink twice to believe what it was that he was seeing.

All around them were nearly a dozen small wooden huts. They looked roughly hewn but solid, sap seeping from the freshly cut wood. The others were gasping in awe and appreciation while he merely stood agog, marvelling at her power. When he looked down at Emma he saw that she still had her eyes closed, face scrunched as though awaiting a volley of complaints.

"Are they terrible?" She asked meekly, turning toward him blindly. When he didn't say anything right away her face fell, "They are. I'll get rid of them."

She raised her hand again and Killian quickly pushed it down with his left wrist.

"Perhaps you should look at them first, love," he said encouragingly.

"Fine."

He couldn't help but chuckle at the drop of her jaw when she opened her eyes. She looked all around them with awe and a light flush of pink in her cheeks. When she looked back up at him he was surprised to see a flash of fear in her eyes.

"Swan?"

"Later," she whispered with a shake of her head. She turned to the others, "Since I guess we're staying here for the night we'll need firewood and to find something to eat."

"We'll handle the hunting," Robin said gesturing to Little John and Roland with a smile.

"And we can gather the wood," Grace added, setting her hands on the teens' shoulders.

"Don't go too far, we don't know what might be out there," Emma cautioned, "And if you see Red or anyone else you recognize send them this way since there's plenty of shelter to go around."

"Where is Ru- er- Red?" Killian asked, suddenly aware that he hadn't seen her since reuniting with Emma.

"Probably tracking down Granny or my dad," Emma said, unconcerned. "She knows where we are and even if I hadn't asked she would have gone after them anyway."

"Why?"

"They're her family," Emma said with a matter of fact shrug. "Speaking of which-"

She raised her free hand and almost immediately four identical glittering birds appeared in her palm. As the flew away she squeezed his hand, giving him a soft smile.

"And where are they off to?"

"To tell my mother, Elsa, Liam, and Marty's parents that we're back and safe. They deserve to know as quickly as possible," she said quietly.

"Thank you, love," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair, "Liam probably has enough on his plate and now he won't have to worry so much about me."

"He'll always worry about you," she chastised gently. "He was really mad at me for your disappearance."

"Swan, if he said anything-"

"I can handle myself and we worked it out eventually," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She tugged on his hand, "Come on we should help everyone set up."

As they moved around the impromptu campsite two things became apparent to him. The first was that Emma didn't want to leave his side. No matter where he went she was with him, if not holding onto his hand then only a step or two away. He didn't mind, couldn't really when he felt the same urge.

The second was that she seemed to be avoiding something. She was constantly moving from the woods to the huts she had conjured to the far side of the field where they had found a small stream and then back. More often than not he caught her clenching her hands into fists at her side as she subtly scanned the horizon. When she noticed him watching her she'd give him a fake smile and move on to another part of the camp, pulling him along with her. If she hadn't gone to such great lengths to keep him at her side he'd worry that it was something he'd done.

Unfortunately there was plenty to do to keep them both busy. Regina had yet to return from the woods but Robin assured them that she was still there, moping as he put it when he brought a few rabbits he'd snared back to the camp be cleaned. The larger branches that Grace and the teens he'd been told were her children had to be stripped and broken apart by hand seeing as how none of them had an axe. In the same regard they'd had a hell of a time figuring out how to collect water from the stream to bring back to camp. It had only been after a pointed comment from Roland that Emma reluctantly conjured a bucket, her hand trembling in his for several minutes after.

Before he could pull her aside to ask her about it Red returned with at least a dozen more people that he recognized from Storybrooke, including Granny and David. For the first time that afternoon she left his side without hesitation as David opened his arms wide to gather her into a hug. He hung back, as he had when they'd reunited in Storybrooke, and wasn't surprised when she chose to show the newcomers around the camp instead of immediately returning to his side.

"It is good to see you again, Your Highness."

"You know you can just call me by my name," Killian sighed, turning slightly to look at Turner who had snuck up on him.

"If we were in Storybrooke perhaps, but we're back, not in our own kingdom of course, but back nonetheless and here you are a prince," Turner pointed out. He rocked on his heels as he seemed to choose his words, "I know we're... settling here for the night but I could set off for Balliolshire come morning to announce our return. If you so wish it. Sire."

"God, no," Killian said aghast. "We've just returned and we have no idea where we are, let alone how long it would take to reach Balliolshire. Emma's already sent one of her messages to Liam. That's enough for today at least."

Turner seemed to visibly sag in relief, even as he remained standing at attention, "Very good, Your Highness. We should send out a small scouting party tomorrow to determine where, exactly, we are."

Killian opened his mouth to tell Turner that he didn't give a damn what they did the next day when he realized that such decisions would be expected to be made by him. In Storybrooke he'd only been beholden to himself and he'd very much been motivated by his drive for revenge. He could feel himself flushing in shame as he reached up to scratch behind his neck.

"Aye, that… that's a good plan."

Turner stayed silent as Killian sought out Emma. She was leading David around the camp, her arm threaded through his, pointing out what they'd accomplished since they'd decided to stay. As he watched she looked over to him and gave him a wide smile.

"I have to say, Sire, I didn't understand it at first," Turner said quietly.

Killian nearly rolled his eyes at the address but was curious as to what Turner was getting at, "Understand what?"

"When Liam ordered me to accompany Captain Swan he did it as much for his peace of mind that someone he could trust would be of aid as well as to determine how true her feelings were for you," Turner said instead of directly answering his question. He dropped his head, "You see he and, I admit I, had already decided that she was selfish, rash, ill-mannered, and unfit for the crown she is to inherit. Worst of all, we believed that she only cared for you because you had been taken and not because she truly loved you. I've never been so relieved to be proven wrong."

Killian took a deep breath, trying to keep his temper in check. He knew that Liam didn't fully approve of Emma or know the true depths of his feelings for her but he hadn't seen or communicated with his brother since they'd parted ways in Senlikli. With a pang he realized that all Liam would have seen was that he'd entangled himself once more with a woman whose motives were circumspect at best.

"What changed your mind?" He asked, barely able to keep himself from growling out the question.

"She did, of course," Turner said as though the answer was obvious. "First as my captain and then as the woman trying to do everything she could to bring back the man she loves. She has experienced far more frustration and heartache than one such as her should in the past few months alone but she never wavered. Seeing how you behaved around her, even without your memories of her, I knew then that we had been mistaken. I wasn't surprised that together you broke Zelena's curse."

Turner's words left him speechless. It had always been a trial to get Turner to speak his mind, let alone his honest opinion, so trained was he from an early age to give a tempered response to his superiors. Liam had had to command him to be frank with him but Turner had never extended the courtesy to him. He felt a sharp spike of longing for Thompson and how he'd never minced his words or his true feelings.

A sudden shroud of despair settled over him and he found himself looking around desperately for a glimpse of Emma. He'd barely been able to mourn for Thompson before the curse had taken him and he'd spent the entirety under its spell seeking vengeance for his murder. He didn't feel as though he deserved the honor of True Love with Emma, not with the man he had been under the curse and even the one he'd been immediately after Thompson's death.

The maelstrom of emotions he was feeling was almost too much for him to bear. It was as though everything the curse had suppressed or amplified was haunting him all at once. With a shudder his desire to see Emma twisted into the desire to avoid her, to keep his shame from somehow tainting her.

"Sire?"

Killian startled slightly and saw Turner regarding him worriedly.

"Emma's ability to change a person's opinion of her is terrifying to behold," Killian said with as much humor as he could. Turner's brows lifted in surprise and he scrambled to keep him from questioning him further, "Would Roland and his father be willing to be part of our scouting party tomorrow?"

"I suppose…" Turner said with a frown. "Although I'm not sure Robin will be so willing to allow Marty to go along. Will Little John be an acceptable alternative?"

"If he knows the woods as well as Robin does then yes. See if Rub- er, Red is up to it as well," Killian said with as much authority as he could muster.

"I will, sire."

"We'll leave an hour after dawn. That should give us time to cover plenty of ground before having to return here before dark if needed," he continued, feeling more and more like an imposter.

"Of course," Turner said, nodding even as his frown remained in place. "Shall I also ask Captain Swan if she'd like to join us?"

"She might want to stay here with her father to catch up as it were," Killian hedged. He then gave Turner a frown of his own, "Why is it you call her 'captain' and not by her royal address?"

"As it stands she's more of a captain than a princess at the moment, in both the circumstances of her past and her personal preference. It should also be noted that she's both willing and able to take up her sword to convince even me to use 'captain' as her title," Turner said with what seemed to be begrudging respect.

"I could command you to drop the title, you know," he grumbled.

"You could but unfortunately for you, Your Highness, it's a command I'm never going to obey-" Turner smirked and half turned towards the now bustling camp where a small group, including Roland and Little John, were surrounding the fire, "Shall I inform the others of our plan?"

"Uh, yea- yes," he stuttered, thrown off by the near cheekiness of Turner's retort.

Turner bowed his head slightly before stepping away but seemed to hesitate when he caught sight of Emma and David joining those at the fireside. Killian fought to keep an unaffected mask in place as he turned back and regarded him closely.

"I may not know what thoughts are weighing you down but I recognize the look of self loathing in your eyes," Turner murmured, his gaze full of reproach, "You are a good man, Killian, don't let that bitch's curse have you believing otherwise."

With that Turner turned on his heel and moved towards Emma and the others, leaving Killian awash with disbelief watching him go. His stupor was only broken when Emma looked to him with a furrowed brow as Tuner spoke to those at the fire. He watched as she leaned over to speak to David and began to walk the perimeter of the camp when she stood. As much as he craved her nearness he knew needed to compose himself first so she wouldn't suspect something was wrong as easily as Turner had.

Emma caught up to him at almost the exact moment he noticed Regina watching the goings on at the camp from the edge of the woods.

"Do you suppose she's over there plotting against us?" He asked, hating himself for already pushing the conversation away from his troubles.

"Maybe," Emma hummed thoughtfully, looking out towards Regina. "She said she wanted to prove she had changed but Turner was suspicious about where she disappeared to the times she went ashore when we were anchored in that cove. Once we docked at the harbor she was off like a shot, back to avoiding Zelena. That's mostly why I agreed with you to keep the cuff on. We can't trust her if she keeps running off to do her own thing when she feels like it."

Killian winced, wondering if the comment was meant for him as well.

"Whatever it is she's thinking about doing, or not doing, doesn't worry me too much-" she continued, turning back to him with a troubled frown, "Turner said you want to take a scouting party out tomorrow?"

"Aye, though it was his idea. Figure out the lay of the land, see if we might find others or perhaps discover a clue as to which kingdom we've found ourselves in-" he rambled, helpless to stop himself.

"Okay," she said slowly, "but then why are you the one leading it? I thought you- I hoped we would have a chance to talk about… everything."

"Oh, Swan," he breathed out, pained that he'd already hurt her and it had only been less than a day since they'd been reunited. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her temple, "We won't be going far, four maybe five miles, just enough to discern where we are. We'll be back before you could even begin to worry."

"I won't have to because I'm going with you," she said stubbornly as she pulled out of his embrace to glare up at him.

He loved her all the more for her consternation even as he balked at the idea of having to explain his feelings of inadequacy to her when she noticed something was amiss with him. As he looked at her, trying to come up with the words to discourage her from joining him he saw a shadow of something pass behind her eyes. It mirrored his own self doubt and guilt so completely that he felt a chill settle in his bones that had nothing to do with the bite of the winter air around them. With as genuine of a smile as he could muster he nodded in acceptance, knowing he would suffer a thousand deaths before leading her to believe she had done something wrong.

However, he couldn't help but make one final attempt at keeping her at arm's length, "Will your father be alright letting you out of his sight?"

"Probably not. I think he's having a hard time realizing I'm not sixteen-" she gave a melancholy sigh, "or that much of a princess anymore. It doesn't help that the curse gave him memories of my mother but none of me."

"Well, Zelena did try her best to ensure that we were all miserable and remembering you in any capacity would have negated that, Swan."

"I doubt that," Emma said with a dismissive scoff, "Zelena was probably being nice for once. Dad probably would have just thought of me as some annoying girl who had pulled a cat's tail or something and you would have remembered me as someone who broke your heart worse than Deborah or whatever her name really is."

"Jaqueline," he growled but quickly shook off his ire with his twice over ex to disabuse Emma of the notion in her head. "There's no curse or potion or realm where I could ever think of you in the same capacity as her. I don't think you realize how much I came alive when I met you at the docks, love."

"You were just happy to see a pretty face," she teased even though he could hear the vulnerability in her words.

"I'll admit you intrigued me more than anything but there was something about you, something more, and for the first time I wanted to be included in whatever it was that had me feeling that way about you. You're a rare woman, Emma."

Emma ducked her head, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Killian felt a grin pulling at his lips at the sight. While he knew he wasn't yet able to tell her everything he felt about his year under the curse she deserved to know that much. He was fairly certain that if she had not arrived in Storybrooke when she had that he would have slid into the tempting depths of villainy completely, blackening his soul. As it was he felt tainted, as though a shadow was hanging over him waiting for the opportune moment to enshroud him completely.

"Alright, enough with the compliments," she said, lightly digging her elbow into his side before wrapping her hand around his. "Come on, supper should be ready by now."

"You go ahead, love, I'll go and tell Her Majesty soup's on," he said nodding towards where they'd seen Regina earlier, even though she was nowhere to be found.

"Soup? There's no soup, they were roasting rabbits..." Emma said confusedly, looking in the direction of the fire.

Killian laughed in spite himself, "It's merely a turn of phrase from Storybrooke, love. It just means that the food is ready."

"Oh-" Emma grinned and he somehow felt lighter for it, "Want me to come with you?"

"It'll take but a minute, Swan. No need to deprive your father from your presence even more now that you'll be accompanying us tomorrow," he said, gently nudging her towards the center of camp.

"You know he's going to want to come too," she pointed out, walking backwards as she spoke.

"Of that I have no doubt," he shot back.

Emma's laughter followed him as he made his way towards where he'd seen Regina last. As he walked closer he saw her dark head of hair moving slightly from behind a large fallen tree, bobbing to and fro in a somewhat agitated manner. Going round the protruding roots he saw that she had made a small camp of her own with several broken branches leaning up against the tree's trunk with pine boughs layered on top of those. It was a pitiful attempt at a lean-to that Killian knew wouldn't hold up to the winds that had been growing stronger and would fare even worse against the snow that had begun to fall steadily around them.

Despite not having made any attempt at being stealthy Regina hadn't turned at the sound of his approach. She was hunched over, her shoulders moving vigorously, as she muttered what sounded like colorful curses under her breath. When he drew close enough he looked over her shoulder and stifled a laugh at the sight of her trying to start a fire with nothing more than a twig she was spinning between her palms that was digging a groove into what looked like a damp piece of bark. He'd heard multiple warnings over the years of how the Evil Queen could conjure a fireball with just a slight twist of her wrist and to see her desperate, rudimentary attempts at creating a single ember had him feeling almost sorry for her.

"You know there's a perfectly good fire just back yonder," Killian drawled, hooking his thumb into the belt around his waist.

"And have to share it with you sanctimonious hypocrites? No thanks," she snapped sounding unaffected despite the small jump she'd made at the sound of his voice.

"Hypocrites? How do you figure that Kooks?"

Regina stiffened as Killian's hand dropped to his side in shock. The nickname had slipped out of his mouth without thought, Cuckoo Regina, Kooks for short, the mad woman from the woods. It had started as a whisper between children when Regina had walked past the park or the schoolyard, it had spread easily to the parents and teachers watching over them and quick as a spark on gasoline it had spread across Storybrooke within hours. From that day forward it was an insult hurled at her by malicious teens and whispered behind her back by gum-flapping gossipers. At least that's how Killian remembered it happening.

She stood slowly and turned to face him. There was color high on her cheeks and her eyes were glittering with something that could have been hurt but he knew to be something far more vindictive.

"Does she know?" Regina sneered.

Killian's heart seemed to stop before beating double time, "Know what?"

"The kind of man you were back in Storybrooke?"

"We were cursed," he bit out, trying in vain to convince himself as well as her.

"True," she conceded but there was a malicious glint in her eyes, "Of course you should tell that to the people whose lives you ruined, Hook. You stand there, casting judgements on me when you should look in the mirror. I at least admit that I've done horrible things but you can't even bring yourself to think about what you've done, curse or not."

Killian could feel the blood rushing through his veins, the pounding in his head. Regina smirked, clearly feeling triumphant in her attack. She dropped the twig and brushed her hands together idly, dusting them off.

"I think I will join everyone at the fire-" she walked towards him and paused, leaning in slightly, "After all what's a bonfire without some good stories to tell around it?"

He stood immobile, shocked by the implications of everything she'd said. While he knew a few people would overlook what his cursed personality had done there were far more that wouldn't. He was standing atop a house of cards and it would only take the smallest puff of air to send him toppling down.

* * *

 **A.N.: Now that we're really getting into it a few things:**

 **In the actual show I felt they just glossed over the whole 'cursed life' thing so I'm doing the opposite which will have the characters who were under the curse actually dealing with that duality instead of just reverting back to their pre-cursed personalities right away.**

 **I had someone leave a comment that they couldn't continue reading because I said I was going darker with the story but they implied I'd be going right into the deep end with it and changing everything about the story just to do it. I'm not but it still won't be a rainbow and sunshine kinda ride.**

 **Finally, I won't be pulling a season 6 and separating our beloved CS for a bullshit reason to create tension. They're very much in the trenches together but that isn't to say there won't be some tension and some secrets kept that won't have repercussions.**

 **Next: A sad tale, a reunion, and an understanding.**


	4. Turn and Face the Strange (Emma)

Emma rolled over, stretching her arm out to the side and was unsurprised to find there was only a tangle of blankets piled on the cot that was next to hers. Letting out a sigh she blinked the sleep away, focusing blearily on the space that Killian had been lying in only a couple of hours before. As she lay in the grey light of dawn, watching her breath cloud in the frigid air, she vaguely wondered if she was already paying the price for breaking the curse.

It had been chaos the day before when the smoke had cleared and they had found themselves in a snow covered field. No sooner had she felt the low hum of magic coursing through her veins that Roland was crying out to her, close to panic over how much blood Marty had lost. In near panic herself she had dropped to her knees to heal Marty. Somehow, in her frenzied state, she had managed to get out the words that sent Red off to find Killian.

Even with how quickly she had acted she almost hadn't been in time, Marty's skin had become so pale it was almost grey and his breathing had been shallow and weak. Roland had been sobbing beside her as her palms had glowed gold and she'd focused every part of herself into willing Marty back to life. She was convinced it hadn't worked, right up until Marty took a gasping breath, color flooding back into his cheeks. He had coughed his thanks as Roland nearly squeezed the life out of her, tears still running down his face.

They'd had to wait nearly an hour before Red had returned with Killian. Every second of that hour she had imagined the terrible things that could have happened to him and then proceeded to think of other outcomes that were even worse. It was all Roland could do to keep her from running after Red, only the fact that she hadn't seen where she'd gone and therefore impossible to track held her fast. By the time Killian and Red had emerged from the trees Emma worn a muddy path across the length of the field from her pacing. She had been unable to help herself and leapt into Killian's arms, promising herself that she'd never leave his side again.

When Robin's group had joined them she had been overjoyed and relieved that it appeared those brought back by the destruction of the curse hadn't been scattered too far. Watching Roland and Turner reunite as her and Killian had only heightened her joy, and lessened her guilt. Her elation was short lived, however, when Robin handed down Marty's punishment and the guilt had flooded her once again as Marty had protested his fate. It had been under her leadership that he had felt the need to act out and when she'd tried to keep him tethered he'd only gone and gotten himself stabbed. Only Killian's warm hand in hers had given her the strength to withstand Marty's pleas and Robin's indifference to them.

The ensuing fight with Regina had only compounded her guilt almost making her bow under its weight. Where she had argued avidly for Regina to have a sense of freedom when they'd first found her as a prisoner in her own palace, she had realized that she felt wary about allowing her the use of her magic. Even with the threat of the Dark One looming over them all she couldn't bring herself to remove the restricting cuff from Regina's wrist. Not when she'd been secretive about her dealings in Storybrooke when Emma had allowed her a berth on the Jewel.

Denying Regina the use of her magic, however, came with its own repercussions, namely Emma having to use her own powers. It was foolish, really. She knew how desperately they needed shelter, having decided to stay in the clearing for the night, and yet she still hesitated. Her magic had come easily when she'd healed Marty but it had been months since she'd purposefully used it and even then she had already been fighting against the tremors using it caused. The whispers in the back of her mind reminding her about the prophecy and her role as savior only caused her to hesitate more, the expectations almost as heavy as her guilt.

In the end it had been Killian's gentle encouragement that had allowed her to conjure the huts, childishly closing her eyes to focus her intentions and block out the eager stares. What she hadn't anticipated was how far her magic would extend itself. She had merely hoped to conjure the type of tent she remembered sleeping in when they had stayed with the Merry Men. Instead she had created several wooden huts that were far more capable of withstanding the elements than the wooden poles and canvas she had been picturing. For a moment she had felt fear at her loss of control but when she had looked up to see Killian's reaction he had only been looking at her with pride and she'd felt all the worse for it.

From that moment on she had only clung to Killian all the more. She knew that he had noticed and loved him all the more for not asking her to explain herself. Instead he would tuck her arm in his or twist their fingers together and followed her lead as she flitted around the camp. He was there to steady her when she looked in one of the huts and saw that there were cots and bedrolls in each of them. The seemingly limitlessness of her power had made her slightly woozy and she had practically dragged him to the woods to gather more firewood, fleeing as best she could.

When Red returned with her father in tow she had nearly sobbed in relief once again. She had been able to step away from Killian but found herself latching onto David instead. Dimly she had realized that something was beginning to take hold, a fear of being forced away from the people she loved and it was making her act in ways she had once considered a weakness in others. As she had questioned David about where he'd arrived while they walked around the camp she tried to convince herself that her fears would eventually pass. Instead as they walked she only felt that they were taking root deep in her heart and only growing stronger.

Things had only become worse after Killian had gone to invite Regina to join everyone at the fire for their evening meal. She had suspected something was wrong when he'd been nearly unable to meet her eye after talking with Turner. Their plan to send out a scouting party had surprised her and Killian's reluctance at first to let her go along had roused her suspicions. It hadn't taken much to convince him to allow her to go along but she could sense that something was troubling him. When he'd volunteered to get Regina she had thought nothing of it but when they had arrived at the fireside Regina had been smirking smugly and Killian looked as though he was headed for the gallows.

He had put on a convincing show for the rest of the night, for everyone but her at least. She could see through his feigned smiles, hear the aloofness in his voice, and worst of all she could feel him trying to distance himself from her. Whenever she had moved closer to him he would stiffen before relaxing and within minutes he would move to lean forward to talk to someone or move away under the pretense of adding more wood to the fire, returning to her side with a definite space between them that she eventually stopped trying to diminish. When they had settled for the night she had half expected him to choose any other hut but the one she'd claimed as her own. She had been about to climb onto her cot when Killian had entered the hut and given her a half-hearted smile. No words had been spoken between them as he had set up his own cot but she could have sworn she had heard him whisper an apology to her right before sleep had claimed her. In the growing light of the morning she wondered what exactly it was he had been trying to atone for.

Emma remained laying in her cot for nearly another quarter of an hour, staring at the mess of blankets beside her. As much as she wanted to she couldn't find it in herself to blame Killian. The past few days had been a whirlwind for her and she could only imagine how much more disorienting it was for those who had been cursed. She decided she'd forgive Killian for his aloofness but they had much to discuss once he returned.

When she finally emerged from the hut she was surprised to see only a few people gathered around the rebuilt fire. Roland and Robin were carefully watching over the rabbits they had roasting over it as her father sat across from them with a blanket around his shoulders, clearly keeping an eye out for her appearance. David gave her a wan smile and waved her over with one hand still holding onto his blanket. She blinked back the ever present tears at being able to sit beside him whenever she wished as she made her way to him.

"Good morning, my swan princess," David greeted, wrapping his arm around her the moment she sat next to him and kissing her temple.

"Morning," she murmured, helping him adjust the blanket over her shoulder.

"Uh oh, from that exuberant greeting you either slept terribly or Killian didn't wake you when he left," he said half jokingly.

"Both," she sighed before she could catch herself. She wasn't sure how much she wanted David to guess about her troubles with Killian and therefore sought to change the subject, "Do you think we should stay here another night or move on once the scouting party comes back?"

David hummed contemplatively, digging his heel into the dirt, "I guess it all depends on what they find. If we do leave we'll need to stay close to the stream we've been getting water from. It might even lead us to a farmstead or even a village further downstream."

"Maybe it'll lead us to Mom," she said hopefully. She looked up at David and saw that he was staring at the fire with a wistful smile, "I let her know that we made it back."

"What?" He looked at her in surprise. "How?"

"Like this."

Emma held up her hand in front of her and thought of a simple message. As soon as the words formed in her mind a golden hummingbird glimmered into existence. With the ease of another thought it flitted to David, darting around his head until he held out his own hand. The hummingbird landed and immediately transformed into a small slip of shimmering parchment. Once he read the words it blinked out of existence leaving only a hint of golden glitter in the air.

"I missed you too," he said thickly, gruffly clearing his throat as he pulled her closer to his side. "Will your mother be able to use it to find her way to us?"

"No," she said gently. "At least mine don't leave a puddle in your hand once you've finished reading it."

"Elsa? Queen Elsa of Arendelle?" David asked, surprise in his voice. "How did you manage to get on first name basis with the Ice Queen?"

"Dad-" Emma elbowed him lightly, shaking her head as a grin threatened to break free, "She's actually really nice. More welcoming than she should've been considering how we arrived in her kingdom."

"Sounds like there's a story there."

The grin that had been tugging at her lips dipped into a frown. It was clear he believed it to be an interesting tale, one filled with humor and perhaps a little drama but one that could be easily told. He had no way of knowing that her arrival in Arendelle was only a small interlude in the cascade of events that had started with an order from Zelena to end Captain Swan and led to her sitting at his side, contemplating what exactly to tell him.

"It's a long one," she warned, vaguely noticing that Robin and Roland seemed to be listening as well.

David looked around at the quiet huts and then off towards the forest before shrugging, "We've got the time."

She decided to begin her story at the moment she'd heard rumor that the Evil Queen had put a price on her head and that the Jewel of the Realm was the one on the hunt. When she was explaining how Red had gone behind her back to lead Killian to Agrabah Roland and Robin were listening raptly and the rest of the camp was beginning to stir. By the time she got to Blackbeard's attack on the Brooke she had a captive audience consisting of everyone that hadn't gone with the scouting party. Even Regina was listening intently, wrapped up in the story as much as the others.

Emma became aware that she was keeping details to herself as she described the fight between her crew and that of the Revenge. She had never really shared the full extent of story with anyone else. Even Snow had received only bits and pieces of what had happened over the course of the year before Emma had found her. There were things she'd done that she wasn't proud of, especially from the time before the tale she'd started, and the instinct to hide her magic away was still too strong. She reasoned with herself that the whole of the story would remain intact, that her use of magic wasn't overly important, that the darker deeds she'd committed were nothing in comparison to the good that would eventually come from it.

A few minutes later when she reached the point where they had arrived in Arendelle she knew she couldn't end the tale there. She could see that the group was hanging on her every word. David had even moved so that he could watch her speak without straining his neck. It was clear they wouldn't be satisfied with her stopping the story right when she had met Elsa but to continue was to dredge up the painful memories that followed. Hewitt's murder, the subterfuge they'd uncovered in Regina's palace, and Thompson. Emma realized couldn't bring herself to tell what had happened to him, not without Killian there and perhaps not even then for it wasn't her heartbreak to share.

David seemed to notice her hesitation. With a gentle press of his hand to her knee he stood and cleared his throat.

"I think we've made Emma share enough for now. She hasn't even had her morning meal yet. How about we let her eat while we gather up some more wood and water. We'll need to check the traps to see if we'll have anything for the scouting group when they come back. Robin, a word if you please."

Robin looked taken aback by being addressed directly but allowed himself to be ushered away by David. Emma sighed with relief as the others spread out through the camp without complaint. She had forgotten how easily her father could hold sway over a crowd, as much as a humble man or as a king. It was a skill she was fairly certain she hadn't inherited.

Roland made his way towards her and sat in the spot David had vacated. He gave her a wan smile and looked towards the far edge of camp. Emma followed his gaze.

"I don't think Papa likes what your father is saying," he observed.

Across the camp David talked as Robin started to frown, which became more of a grimace. He cut David off, gesturing back at the camp and then out towards the woods before settling a steely gaze on him. David seemed to try and placate him but to her it looked like Robin only grew more incensed.

"Do you know what they're talking about?" She asked, still watching as David appeared to be growing frustrated as well.

"No, but I have an idea," Roland sighed, looking back at her. "Before you woke Papa and I were talking about Marty's punishment. Your father was apparently listening more closely than we realized and it looks like he doesn't agree with Papa's decision."

"I don't really agree with it either," Emma muttered, trying and failing to not sound judgemental.

"You wouldn't understand because you're not a part of the Merry Men," Roland said with an easy shrug. "We may live a lawless life but we've only remained uncaptured, survived really, because we follow a strict set of rules. Marty has been testing their limits practically since he could walk. Stowing away on your ship was enough to get him cut off from the Merry Men for a year."

Emma gasped, "Robin wouldn't do that!"

"He would and he has," he said grimly. "There's no greater crime for the Merry Men than putting the rest of us at risk."

"But-"

"He was sailing under your orders, a part of your crew, and he blatantly disregarded nearly every order you gave him. Disobeying orders, working for Zelena, not keeping his mouth shut when he was caught? He's lucky Papa is taking him back to Will and Belle and not leaving him behind to fend for himself. If you and the others weren't here he would have."

She was stunned into silence. As a captain she'd heard her fair share of mutiny stories, mostly over pints of ale as she tried to get information about Misthaven and the Evil Queen. It was a problem she'd never once had to worry about. Her crew was her family, they would have no sooner turned on her than turned on themselves. She turned back to look at Robin and wondered how he could be so cold hearted.

"Marty's just a kid," she argued.

Roland gave an exasperated sigh, "You still don't get it. He almost died and got the rest of us killed by just trying to prove himself. It's happened before and the Merry Men vowed it would never happen again."

"What happened?" She asked, trying desperately to understand.

"Someone we trusted wasn't happy with where he stood in the Men. Nicolas thought he deserved to be Papa's right hand man instead of Little John and loathed that Will was above him in rank even though Will had been with the Men for a lot longer. He decided that he'd prove his worth by going against Papa's wishes and spying on Lord John's court.

"I was ten when Lord John's men attacked our camp in the middle of the night. Most of us escaped but some didn't. We learned later from Friar Tuck that Nicolas had been caught and instead of holding his tongue had spilled every secret he knew about the Merry Men. Twelve of our number died that night, women and children included. All because Nicolas thought he deserved more. Papa changed after that night, we all did."

"I'm so sorry," Emma whispered, aghast.

"It's been over twenty years but I still have nightmares," Roland said quietly, his gaze dropping to his hands. "Marty's grown up knowing what happened, why we have the rules we do. Him being a kid is no excuse, not when he's been at every remembrance bonfire we have every year on the night that it happened. At the very spot where it happened. Even Will won't argue with Papa's decision."

"What'll happen to him?"

"He'll probably be sent to his sister's and end up apprenticing with her husband. He's a carpenter," Roland mused with a half-smile. It faltered slightly, "Belle was never thrilled he wanted to follow in Will's footsteps but just like Colette takes after her Marty takes after his father. She won't be happy it's come to this though."

"He can come with me, us. Wherever we go next," she offered almost frantically.

"Emma, you said it yourself: he's still a kid. It's up to Will and Belle to decide where he'll go."

She opened her mouth to argue but found that there was nothing she could say. There was no denying that Marty had put them all in jeopardy by disobeying orders time and again. Her own punishments for him hadn't been lenient and with a start she realized that had she the choice she would have sent him back to his parents after the first time he'd deliberately slipped away from Roland and Turner. While she couldn't bring herself to agree with Robin banning him from the Merry Men completely she could begin to understand why he had done it.

"Do you think your father will let him back in?"

"I don't know," Roland sighed. "Being with the Merry Men is all Marty's known but he's young enough to learn a new way of life-"

"Or old enough to harbor a grudge for the rest of it," Emma said bitterly.

"True, he might be angry for a while but don't forget he's as much Belle's son as Will's. He'll eventually forgive Papa and maybe, in time, he'll earn his way back to us."

Whatever distraction she'd been looking for from having to tell her story to the others contemplating Marty's fate hadn't been it. Looking around the camp she found him sitting sullenly by one of the huts stripping the twigs and leaves from dried branches to use for kindling. As though he felt her eyes on him he looked up at her and almost immediately dropped his eyes back to his task, a deep flush rising in his cheeks. Feeling helpless she balled up her fists and forced herself to count to ten, breathing deeply to calm herself.

"When do you think the others will be back?" She asked without thinking.

"Daniel wasn't sure. He said not to expect him back before the midday meal and maybe not even for supper-" Roland gave a frustrated sigh, "He wasn't happy that I didn't want to go and even more so that Killian wouldn't give him a straight answer last night or this morning about how long it would take. Or answering any of his questions really... wait, Killian didn't tell you anything?"

Emma's stomach dropped, "No."

If Turner had talked to Roland long enough to complain after having spoken to Killian then there would have been enough time for Killian to have woke her, to have at least said goodbye. The sudden confirmation that he had been avoiding her felt like she'd taken a dull blow to the back of her head. She found that she wasn't sure how to feel, unmoored from any sense of what was up or down. Killian had been the one constant in her mind for so long that his absence left her floundering.

"Emma, what's going on?" Roland turned to her fully, concern plain on his face.

"I don't know," she whispered helplessly. "Something happened yesterday but I don't know what and Killian won't talk to me."

"He did seem a bit off last night-"

"It started before that," she bit out frustratedly, "When he came here with Red he seemed fine and I thought we could talk about... everything, you know? Then the whole thing with the huts and my magic and then my dad got here. It was even worse after he talked to Regina. I have no idea what's going on!"

The flames of the fire in front of them exploded to at least ten feet in height before quickly returning to normal. Emma took in an unsteady breath as she tried to calm herself and quell the uncontrollable shaking of her hands. She felt like she was eight, her magic completely out of her control and prone to cause more problems for it. Luckily nobody but Roland had noticed the outburst.

"Emma!" he yelped.

"I got it," she whispered half to herself as she clenched her hands between her thighs. She drew in another deep breath and blew it out slowly, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You nearly set the entire camp on fire!"

"Keep it down," she muttered furiously, glaring at him. "I'm just getting used to my magic again."

"Alright," he said with a hint of skepticism. Then his eyebrows furrowed in concern, "Do you think the Dark One is having the same problem? Could that be why he hasn't shown up yet?"

"Maybe but that could also mean he's even more dangerous than before," she said with distracted worry, still forcing herself to take deep, steady breaths.

"I thought you breaking that stupid curse would be the end of it," Roland said exasperatedly.

"You and me both," she sighed. Cautiously releasing her hands she was relieved to find that the shaking had stopped, "Seems like breaking it just made everything worse somehow."

"Papa doesn't feel that way," he quickly interjected. "He wasn't at all happy under the curse, especially having to spend most of his days with that idiot sheriff. I'm sure he'll tell you himself once he's done arguing with your father but he wants to thank you for bringing back his true memories. He also wants to apologize."

She looked at him in surprise, "What? Why?"

"For how he treated you and Killian when he believed he was Deputy Archer. He spent most of last night apologizing to me and Daniel, even though he barely saw me since I tried to stay as far away from him as I could."

Roland gave her a half-hearted smile. She tried to return it but it quickly turned into a frown when she caught sight of Robin storming away from her father who shook his head and began walking in the opposite direction. Looking back at Roland she saw that he was already getting to his feet.

"Do you think-"

"I'm not going to try and change his mind," Roland said stubbornly.

She held up her hands placatingly, "I was just going to ask if he'd be willing to tell me what he remembers about working with Walsh and Zelena. Once he's in a better mood, obviously."

"I'm sure he will-" he looked off to where Robin was stalking into the woods, "In a couple of hours or so."

Emma hummed in agreement, knowing that David would probably need just as much time to calm down himself. With a gentle squeeze of her shoulder Roland ambled off after Robin, leaving her to herself. Not wanting to be alone with her thoughts for too long, lest she begin to overthink why Killian was pulling away from her, she stood and began to walk in the direction David had taken. She could handle her father's pique, especially when she felt the same as he did about the situation.

When she caught up with him he was at the banks of the creek they'd been getting water from, hands on his hips and frowning off into the distance. The image was so familiar that her steps stuttered to a halt. He had done much the same after the council meetings where the shouting could be heard from nearly every room along the same corridor or after Blue gave yet another unsatisfactory answer for what the limits of Emma's magic were or, on the very rare occasion, after he and her mother had a fight. She would always find him looking out over the lake their castle resided on, mulling over whatever had happened and calming himself down. Every time she'd silently move to his side, waiting for him to give a deep sigh and drop his arm over her shoulders. Sometimes he'd tell her what was bothering him if he felt there was a lesson about ruling she could learn but more often than not they'd stand quietly side by side until he was ready to think rationally about the problem. Without further hesitation she sidled up next to him and only a moment later she heard him sigh and his arm went around her shoulders.

"I thought I'd be able to make him see even a little bit of reason," David huffed.

"Roland wasn't much better," she murmured. "Did Robin tell you why?"

"He did and I understand, in a way, but Marty's just a kid!" He said heatedly, his arm around her twitching in his frustration. "I thought that because we worked together in Storybrooke it would be enough to sway him. Apparently not."

Emma frowned, "But that was memories from the curse right? It wasn't real."

"But it was real, until you broke the curse. It still feels real at times, even now," he sighed. "Under the curse the first thing I did when I woke up was to say good morning to a picture of your mother. I remember doing it every morning for the past fourteen years. When I woke up today I turned to do it again and it took me longer than I'd care to admit to remember that she's still alive."

"I'm sorry I didn't break it sooner," she whispered despondently.

"It's not your fault, Emma, and no one blames you for any of it, least of all me," he said vehemently. "Zelena got what she wanted when she cast the curse and paid the price for it too. Nothing more than what she deserved, if you ask me."

She winced. David had never been one to soften the meaning of his words but he had never been so blunt. It was as though the bitter man she'd met in Storybrooke had taken control of her father's tongue without him realizing. Suddenly Emma was struck with a harrowing realization. It was as though a bolt of lightning had struck and for the barest of moments she could see everything clearly.

"Dad? What was Killian like under the curse?"

David stiffened before pulling away from her, a look of trepidation on his face. Emma knew that people had disliked Killian, maybe even hated him. She had seen it time and again in how the townspeople had treated him with open disdain. What she didn't know was what he had done to deserve such animosity and she had been so relieved to have found him again that she hadn't cared. If her father was right and the cursed memories were as real as the ones of their true lives then she was almost certain it was Killian's memories that were pulling him away from her.

"He… he wasn't a good man," David said haltingly. She frowned and he rushed to continue, "A lot of what I remember about him is just memories from the curse, they didn't really happen."

"But you feel like they did," she pointed out. "Even Regina had a hard time picking the two apart and she was never fully under the curse. Then there's the year you were cursed. Not memories, actually doing things."

"I don't know how much really was real, though," he said with a hint of frustration. "I can't explain it but even when it felt like I was living my life none of it felt real until you came into town. It was like waking up from a reoccuring dream only because one tiny thing had changed. I can't even pick out the moment the Dark Curse deposited us in Storybrooke."

"Regina said that time had stopped, that everyone had been living the same day every day," she said eagerly. "So Killian might not have done anything at all."

"Emma-"

"And even if he did, I don't care."

As soon as she said it she knew it to be true. There were things in her past she wasn't proud of. Things that at some point, sooner or later, she'd have to answer for. Killian had been a good, honorable man before the curse took him away and if he was pulling away from her to spare her it meant he was still that man despite who he had believed himself to be for the past year. For the first time that morning Emma felt herself relax and she took a deep, bolstering breath.

"Killian has always believed in me, even when I doubted myself. It's time I do the same for him."

"Then, as I said back in Storybrooke, I'm willing to give Killian the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure in time others will too," David said encouragingly but with a hint of caution. He then smiled wistfully, "You know, the last time we had a serious talk like this you were adamant that you'd never get married. I think you were mostly annoyed by all the suitors at your birthday ball but you had that stubborn frown you get when you're getting ready to dig in your heels. Which you're doing now by the way."

She quickly smoothed out her face but it only made David smile wider. In truth she didn't remember much from that ball. Zelena's attack that had separated them had happened only a few days later and that she remembered with perfect clarity. What she did remember from the ball was it had been the last time that she and her parents had been happy and together.

Emma looked across the span of the camp at the few people that were milling about. Aside from Grace's twins Killian had known them all in one way or another before the curse. That any one of them would hold whatever deeds he did during the curse against him, especially her, seemed absurd to her. She only had to convince Killian of that fact.

"I wish you'd met him," she said softly, "You know, before."

"The curse?"

"Yes and no-" she huffed out a frustrated sigh. "Before… before a lot of things actually. He's had almost as much bad luck with Zelena as we have."

"Even with his kingdom's alliance with her?" He asked in surprise.

"She had King Brennan killed and made it seem that Killian was the one that did it, remember?" She reminded him gently, having told the story only an hour or so before. "That was only the beginning of it. She didn't exactly let up after that."

"Too bad the Dark One killed her," David said without a hint of sympathy, causing Emma to wince. "I wouldn't have minded keeping her locked in a barely habitable dungeon for a decade or two to see how she liked it."

"I think you'd have had to fight Balliolshire for that right. Although, I'm pretty sure Liam would have had her executed for what she'd done to Killian alone."

He hummed, "We probably would have had to flip a coin for that privilege."

"Dad!"

"Don't tell me you didn't think about it too," he scoffed.

"You know, I don't remember you being this cold hearted," she snapped back.

David's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. He looked stricken, as though she had slapped him instead. She was on the verge of apologizing when he dropped his gaze to the ground and ran his hand through his hair, gripping the back of his neck.

"I'm not sure if it's me or who I was under the curse," he sighed, dropping his hand but not lifting his eyes. "I spent so long alone, first isolated in the cell Zelena kept me in and then by choice in Storybrooke. It's harder than I thought it would be to go back to being a fair and just leader. It doesn't help that your mother was always the one to appeal to my gentler sensibilities."

"Well, you'll be with her soon enough and she'll thaw that icy heart of yours," she teased, hoping to ease the sting of her rebuke.

"I can't wait," David said sincerely, finally raising his head and giving her a gentle smile.

She was about to return it with one of her own when her stomach rumbled loudly. David raised a brow at her as she scowled.

"You didn't eat did you?"

"I forgot?" She said meekly.

"Come on then," he said with exasperated fondness.

After David watched her eat her fill she quietly told him what she hadn't been able to tell the others. Of how Hewitt's murder had forced them to leave Arendelle, their time with the Merry Men, the revelation of Thompson's betrayal and subsequent death at the hands of Zelena, and how she had abandoned Killian in order to fulfill her role as Savior. She told him how she'd finally found her mother and how they'd worked tirelessly to find a way to get her to where Zelena's curse had taken the people of Misthaven. When she reached the point where she'd sailed the Jewel through the portal she almost felt like she was falling through again. Her mind was a numb jumble from everything that had happened to her, was still happening to her.

"And then you found us," David said with a hint of pride.

"Had to live up to the family motto eventually," she joked halfheartedly.

"How many times do I have to say that I don't blame you for anything?" He sighed, exasperated. He looked out towards the woods at her back, "If your mother were here she'd… she'd…"

Suddenly David's face paled as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Emma was about to ask what was wrong when he shot to his feet.

"Snow!"

"Charming!"

Before she even realized it was her mother's voice echoing across the camp David was running. She had never seen him move with such speed or determination and she barely had time to stand herself, spinning in the direction he'd run.

"Snow! Oh, God, Snow!"

Snow was running too. When they reached each other they collided almost violently, David embracing her so fiercely that her feet lifted off the ground. Emma was too far away to hear what they were saying to each other but she could see that they were both crying, their hands mapping each other's features even as they brushed away the tears. It was only when their lips met for a deep, passionate, loving kiss that she tore her gaze away, carefully wiping away tears of her own.

"It's okay love, not everyone gets the chance to see their parents reunited like this."

Emma turned to look beside her with a tremulous smile. Killian was standing an arm's length away, dark circles prominent under his eyes and seemingly unable to hold her gaze for longer than a few seconds at a time. A flare of irritation burned in her chest but as quickly as it had appeared it fizzled out when she remembered the promise she had made. It would take patience and her unwavering love to remind him just how much of a good man he truly was.

She took a tentative step towards him. When he didn't shy away she wrapped her arms around him, resting her forehead on his chest.

"Where did you go?"

His arms settled gently around her as he answered, "We went east. Ru-, er, Red hadn't gone that way yesterday and we figured it was as good as any other direction, considering we hadn't a clue where we arrived. There's nothing but trees and the occasional stream for miles. We were ready to turn back when Red caught a sent and led us north. It was another hour before the rest of us saw anything, even though Red said she could hear at least a dozen people moving towards us."

Emma lifted her head and looked around to see a few faces she didn't recognize along with Granny, Grumpy, and others she'd last seen in Storybrooke. Her parents were still lost in each other, ignoring everything and everyone around them. The joy of their reunion was infectious, filling the camp with the sounds of laughter and jubilation. Looking up at Killian she was surprised to see a soft smile on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing, love, just glad to be back here, with you."

She pulled back slightly, frowning, "I wanted to go with you. I told you that yesterday."

"I know, I know," he sighed, stepping back from her completely. She wanted to reach for him but somehow understood he would have just pulled away even more. He looked at her with imploring eyes, "I… There are things that I can't- and I don't want you to think that I'm pushing you away-"

Emma cut him off by wrapping her arms around him again, knowing what he was having trouble articulating, "I don't care."

"What?" He asked, stiffening in her arms.

"Whatever happened under the curse, whatever you feel like you can't tell me, I don't care-" she tightened her grip, "You're here now. We're here now. Together."

"Emma-"

"I love you," she murmured. "Nothing is going to change that. So if you want to tell me I'll listen or if you don't I'll be fine with that too but nothing, absolutely nothing you say will make me love you any less. Got it?"

"Got it," he whispered brokenly. He pushed her back gently and peered into her eyes, as though gauging the truth in them, "God I love you."

He pulled her back to him and as his lips met hers she immediately knew he was done keeping himself away from her. Unlike their kiss that had broken the curse there was no desperation, no mourning of time lost, only the pure elation of being together and loving one another. She deepened the kiss, even as a smile kept breaking through, and he happily kept up, dipping her slightly and threading his hand into her hair while his arm tightened its hold on her.

When they finally broke apart she still clung to him, burying her face in his neck as she breathed him in, grinning wildly. Killian, for his part, was alternating between planting small kisses to her shoulder and whispering endearments in her ear. It was only the sound of a throat clearing behind her that gave her a reason to pull away.

David and Snow were standing there, his arm over her shoulder, hers around his waist and matching smiles of bemusement. Emma could see Snow sizing Killian up, matching what Emma had told her about him to the real thing. Killian fidgeted slightly behind her, clearly understanding what her mother was doing. She caught David's eye and rolled her own eyes at him, causing his smile to widen.

"Alright, Snow, I think you've made him uncomfortable enough."

"What?" Snow said with mock innocence. She smiled up at David, "I didn't realize who he was when he first introduced himself. After hearing about him from our daughter for months and then you telling me he's her True Love you expect me to not take an interest? You can't have forgotten that much about me, Charming."

Emma winced at the casual aside about their separation but David merely chuckled and shook his head. Snow nodded in satisfaction and turned to look at her with a soft gaze.

"Hi Mom," she greeted weakly, suddenly overcome by seeing her parents together, of being together with them, again.

Snow gave her a tremulous smile, "I knew you could do it."

Emma's chin wobbled as she moved into her parents' combined embrace. She could feel Snow clutching at the fabric on her back as David gently cupped the back of her head. When she heard the sound of David sniffling above her she let her own tears fall unchecked. They stayed that way for several minutes and as much as she wanted to remain locked within the comfort of their arms forever she reluctantly pulled back, wiping the last of her tears from her cheeks.

"So, how-" she cleared her throat in an attempt to steady it, "How did you find us?"

"Blue came to our camp yesterday to warn us about something magical that had the fairies had noticed rippling across the land. They didn't know what it was, just that it was powerful. While we waited for her to look more closely into it your little bird arrived. Granny and Grumpy came walking into our camp like they'd been there the whole time not long after telling us what you'd done," Snow said proudly. "When Blue returned she told us what direction to go. We left as soon as we could this morning."

"Blue knew we were here?" She exchanged startled looks with David. "Why didn't she say anything to us? She didn't even show herself."

"She didn't come this far, sweetie," Snow said placatingly, gently grasping her wrist. "She came upon another group that made its way over and heard it from them. Once she had she immediately came back to tell me, knowing that I'd want to know as soon as possible. We didn't even know if we'd find you or someone else this way."

"Apologies, Your Majesty," Killian said quietly, stepping up to Emma's side, "but you said you were in a camp. Where exactly are we?"

"A day or so's ride from the southeastern border of Misthaven and Phyrgia-"

Both David and Emma interrupted Snow, the former in slight indignation and the latter in concern.

"What? Why are we so far from the castle, from home?"

"What's happened?"

Snow sighed and seemed to age at least ten years for it, "George's forces have taken over most of Phyrgia, many of their people have fled to our kingdom or to Darmancourt. Their capitol still stands for now but it's only a matter of time before it falls. Abigail and Frederick have refused to flee with their people."

"They'll be imprisoned!" Emma gasped causing Killian to grab her hand and squeeze his support.

"No," Snow whispered. "They'll be executed. Once Phyrgia is fully under George's thumb we'll be next and we don't have half the fighting force they do."

"What about Balliolshire?" Emma looked imploringly up at Killian before turning back to her mother. "Liam said he'd help."

"They have a navy, a great one," Snow said with an acknowledging tilt of her head at Killian, "but George is fighting us on land. We need an army."

"You have us now," Emma said resolutely. "We can defeat him. We will."

She could feel her magic begin roiling throughout her body, seeking escape. It felt somewhat different than it had that morning, it was thicker somehow, more volatile, but for once completely under her control. Clenching her fists she willed her magic to subside, despite the heady almost giddy feeling that accompanied it. She knew without a doubt that she would be able to call upon it again when the time came. Her family had been torn apart more than its fair share and she'd be damned if it happened again. She failed to notice that Killian was watching her closely, concern swimming deep in his gaze.

* * *

 **A.N.: I would have gotten this chapter up a lot sooner if my October/November hadn't been so very filled with various shenanigans. Never fear though, I'm in no way forgetting or neglecting this story just plodding along at a snail's pace. I do have the next few chapters outlined and I'm excited to bring it to you lovely readers.**

 **Next: Settling back into the Enchanted Forest and a few unhappy truths about time spent under the curse.**


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